Let’s get this out of the way.

If you’re looking for the top 10 Instagram-able places…this is not where you’ll find it.

If you’re looking for the best places to visit, I’ll post some of my most favorite links below for you to check out.

I’m no photographer…so my photos are like what anyone with a smart phone clicks. Some are good. Some…uhhh…not so much.

So…if the above are what you’re looking for in my Travelogue section – honestly, you won’t find them here.

What I have are stories – most of them are directly connected to the places I visit and the people I meet. Some aren’t. Most stories are about good and happy experiences. A very few…not so much. I’ll be honest about all my experiences – with humor and no malice.

These are stories that have affected and changed me. I hope you like them as much as I’ve enjoyed experiencing them. Enjoy!!

Rome, Italy – And the Myth of Tossing Coins at the Trevi for Good Luck

By the messy optimist

So…tossing coins at the Trevi for good luck? Myth or reality? And… does it really matter either way? But call me guilty because I DID toss coins at the Trevi but whether it brought me good luck or not…you have to continue reading to find out!

So many questions!

So admit it…you have questions for me, don’t you? Snarky questions like, hey Roopa, how about you get an actual job instead of searching for luck amid tossing some lame coins in a world-renowned fountain in Rome?

You want to tell me – good luck needs to be earned.

And you’d be right.

FYI – she, as in me, tried to get one and did not succeed at that time.

Then you want to know – how in the actual bloody f… did she get to go to Rome when she did not have a job?

Fair question.

Answer: I’d saved up for seven years and job or no job, I decided to get to the Trevi and I did. Regrets or not.

Finally, you’re wondering…why a picture of the Colosseum at the very beginning of this post instead of the Trevi since the title says Trevi?

Again, fair question.

Believers Vs. Non Believers!

So…let me try some answers.

First off – getting to the Trevi was a big deal. But before we get to that – let me back up just a tad.

Second – I’m not very superstitious. I’m not very religious either.

But I’m not not superstitious or not not religious.

Does that make sense?

Like, I often straddle between faith (I want to believe) and then wanting proof of the existence of god. I’ve never quite been an atheist – instead, depending on how I feel at what stage in my life I jump between having complete faith and being a theist or wanting to know without any doubts (reasonable or otherwise) that there is proof that god exists – an agnostic.

I’m also very practical.

And expedient.

Offering my thanks to an unknown power, chanting the many prayers from my faith, visiting temples and churches and synagogues and mosques – I do it all. I figure – what do I lose by doing any of it? What’s the harm in praying to a superior power IF such a power does exist? And if the power does NOT exist – what really did I lose? Some time? Big deal.

So, if you’re an Indian, you’ll get what I’m saying here: everytime I pass by an idol of an Indian god or goddess – even in street corners – I fold my hands and do a namaste. It’s our way of showing respect to our gods and asking for their blessings. And I don’t lose anything – not my identity or my peace of mind by doing the same even if I wondered somewhere deep inside if there is a higher power or not. I mean…why not, right?

I feel the same way about superstitions. Why walk under a ladder if you can walk around it? Why walk past a black cat when you can always stop, do a quick 360 and then move on? Why not toss a few coins at a lucky fountain if it will help? It may not mean anything. But it might.

The Roman State of Mind

So – this was my mental frame of mind as we made our way from Tuscany to spend a few days in Rome.

By the time we reached Rome – my mind was overwhelmed with the sights and sounds of Pisa, Florence, Venice and the Tuscan countryside. It was like a smorgasbord of art and culture and food and everything incredible. I continued to thank every power out there because I was blessed to enough to experience things that so many do not.

But deep inside of me – I was worried. I was in-between jobs. I’d just upped and moved continents – I had just moved back to India from living in the States for over a decade since I wanted to be closer to my ageing parents. I genuinely thought that after my double-Masters degrees and a doctorate from the States and some valid work experience – I’d be able to land a good gig easily.

WRONG.

I figured – I was back in Asia…maybe I could widen my geographical area and look for something close to home like Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia. Maybe I’d get something there.

Again, WRONG.

Nothing had worked out yet.

Ready for the tossing of coins at Trevi Fountain

So, I was so eager and anxious to get to Rome. And focused all my attention on gaining some good luck at the Trevi. Tossing a few coins at the Trevi Fountain really seemed like a good option at the time.

I played safe and decided to include every currency I’d had at that time – my American quarters, my Indian one-rupee coins, a few Euros and pounds – all ready to toss at the Trevi fountain. By the time I got to Rome – my mind was feverish with the belief that throwing those coins and making a wish for an amazing job would happen – no question.

My belief was even stronger considering waaaay back in time I’d done a coin toss and my wish had come true. It was when I was back living in Kansas and on my way to spend Thanksgiving with a friend – I had tossed a coin in a fountain at a Selena mall and made a wish.

And guess what? The wish actually came true. Not saying what that wish was, though! Nice try!

So my logic was – if the Selena mall fountain made my wish come true – Trevi Fountain would not disappoint.

Dun, dun, dun…

So – the big the day came. I was all gung-ho and feverish with anticipation. With the jingling of coins of myriad currencies in my cross-body shoulder bag and all my dreams and desires in my heart I made my way over to Trevi Fountain.

Only for dun, dun, dun…to just crash and burn.

I was crushed. Devastated. You get the gist.

Far from helping me gather all the luck I needed at that time – the Trevi decided to one-up me and decided to shut down. For renovations.

When I got there the Trevi had been closed off for a few years, I believe. I had no idea. To say I was heartbroken is an understatement.

BUT – lest you think that all I did was mope and curse at the powers above me for letting me down – I bounced right back.

Like, hello? I was in Rome.

ROME. R.O.M.E.

And shut down for renovation or not – I threw a few coins at the direction of the Trevi. I mean – other than ugly blue plastic sheets, bricks, cement, wooden frames other materials – I couldn’t see anything remotely resembling the Trevi fountain. But, I still threw a few coins in the vicinity of the Trevi. Just for good luck.

Also, Trevi or no Trevi, good luck or none – I was in Rome and of course my journey continued and I went on enjoy the many incredible and awe-inspiring sights in Rome – not the least of which was the Coliseum.

Hence the very first picture for this post features THE COLISEUM.

But a few years later – my heart still hurts that I never saw Trevi Fountain. My Roman trip felt and continues to feel incomplete. Over the next few years I’ve traveled wide and far but I’ve yet to make my way back to Rome and Trevi (made worse by the pandemic).

But I will. I will keep my date and destiny with the fountain of all fountains.

In the meantime – maybe it was the soul of Trevi or god or just my own good luck or my destiny or the fact that I worked my ass off and hustled like crazy – I did manage to get an amazing job in Asia. And until last week (when I finally quit) I was very, very happy there.

I’d like to think that the Trevi had something to do with that.